Mowing-machine knife.



Patented Aug. 2l, |900. A. C. MCCOY.

MQWING MACHINE KNIFE. (Application filed Mar. 23, 1900.) (No Model.)

NrrEfD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER C. IVICCOY, OF SERVICE, PENNSYLVANIA.'

lvlowlNc-MACHIN KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,363, dated August21, 1900. Application filed March 23, 190Q. Serial ITO. 9,887. (Nomodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER C. McCoY, a resident of Service, in thecounty of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Mowing-Machine Knives; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to mowing and reaping machines, and particularly tothe cutterbars of such machines; and it has for its object to provide ameans for fastening the knives to cutter-bars which shall be simple andinexpensive in construction and durable in use and which will permit ofthe ready application of the knives to the supportingbar and the readyremoval of the same in case one or morev of them become worn out orbroken in service.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of a cutter-bar provided with my improvement, aportion being broken away. Fig. 2 is a view, partially in side elevationand partially in section, of a portion of a cutter-.bar on a largerscale. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the knives constructed forattachment to the bar in accordance with my invention. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of a wedge-plate, and Fig. 5 is a cross-.sectional viewof one of the rivets looking toward the upper end.

The details of construction illustrated in i the drawings will be nowdescribed'.

The bar 1 is or may be of the usual construction, the inner end havingbolted or riveted to it a device 2 for receiving the outer end of thepitm an employed for reciprocating the bar. Extending through the barfrom side to side at suitable intervals are rivets 3, the upper end 5 ofeach of which adjacent to the head 4 is enlarged, the length of theenlargement 5 being substantially equal to the thickness ofa knife.These enlargements 5 are cut down on two opposite sides to substantiallythe thickness of the main body of the rivet, as is clearly indicated inFig. 5. The lower ends of the rivets are headed, so as to clamp themfirmly in the holes in the bar through which they project. Each of theknives 6 is provided with two keyhole-slots 7, the circular portions ofthese slots being slightly larger than the top heads of the rivets andbeing the same distance apart as said heads. 4The oblong narrow portions8 of the slots are of substantially the same width as the lesserthickness of the portions 5 of the rivets.

Near the inner end of the cutter-bar and adjacent to the pitmanconnection is a guardplate 9, such as is usually employed in devices ofthis character, except that it is cut away to provide means for clampingthe knives in position, as will be hereinafter more fully described.This guard-plate 9 is riveted firmly and immovably to the bar 1, and inthe cut-away portion is located a clamping-plate 10, having a slot llextending longitudinally of the bar, so that the plate may be movedlongitudinally on its rivet 12. Between the plate 10 and the adjacentportion of the guardplate 9 is a wedge-shaped space, into which isdriven a wedge-plate 13. This wedge-plate may be provided with asemieylindrical recess 14 and a similar recess be provided in theadjacent edge of the plate 9, so that when the wedge-plate is driven toits seat a lockingpin 14a may be inserted in the cylindrical hole formedby these two recesses. The inner end of the wedge-plate is also providedwith a recess 15 in order that a pin may be driven therein to start thewedge-plate from its seat when it is desired to remove any of the knivesfrom the cutter-bar.

In assembling the parts the knife adjacent to the outer end of the baris first brought into engagement with the upper surface of the bar byslipping the circular portion of the slot 7 over the heads of the rivetsat that end of the bar and the knife is then moved against the stop 16on the end of the bar. The next knife in the series is then placed inposition in the same manner, and so on until all of the knives are intheir proper position. The plate 10 will then be moved longitudinally toclamp the knives firmly in place, after which the wedge-plate 13 will bedriven in from the rear until it is Hrmly seated, when a pin 14a may beinserted in the recesses 14, if desired, though the plate willordinarily be held in position by its wedging action without anyauxiliary fastening means.

It will be readily understood from the construction shown and describedthat the means for fastening and releasing the knives is4 such thatthese operations are readily eifected and is also such that there is noweakening of either the rivets or of the knives by the cutting away ofmaterial, and hence the durability of the construction is as great as itwould be if the knives were rigidly riveted to the bar, as is the usualpractice.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A cutter-bar for mowing or reaping rnachines provided with headedrivets extending above the upper face of the bar, each rivet having anenlarged portion between the face of the bar and the rivet-head, of suchlength as to hold the knives firmly against the bar, in combination witha set of knives each of which has keyhole-slots for engagement with theprojecting ends of corresponding rivets and means for locking the knivesin operative position, substantially as set forth. j

2. A cutter-bar for mowing or reaping machines provided with headedrivets extending above the upper face ot' the bar, each rivet having anenlarged portion between the face of the bar and the rivet-head, of suchlength as to hold the knives firmly against the bar, in combination witha set of knives provided with keyhole-slots for engagement with theprojecting ends of corresponding v guard-plate, a longitudinally-slidinglockingplate, and a wedge-plate for moving said locking-platelongitudinally to clamp the knives in position.

4. A cutter-bar for mowing or reaping Inachines provided with headedrivets extending above the upper face of the bar, in combina- Ifion witha set of knives having keyhole-slots for engagement with the projectingends of corresponding rivets, a stationary guardplate, alaterally-sliding wedge-plate and a locking-pintor said wedge-plate,said wedgeplate being also provided with an end recess for the insertionof a loosening device.

In testimony whereof I, the said ALEXAN- DER C. MCCOY, have hereunto setmy'hand.

ALEXANDER C. MCCOY. Witnesses:

A. T. ANDERSON, STEPHEN P. STONE.

